1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a data storage and transmission system, and more particularly, pertains to an event notification system to enable alarm companies to automate response methods of notifying second parties, such as police departments, fire departments, integrated emergency communication centers, corporate subscriber headquarter locations, insurance organizations, and other like business entities. The present invention provides a standard communications protocol of transmitting information, as well as a uniform presentation of transmitted data.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Previously, notification of police and fire departments of events requiring such public agency response was verbal by telephone, written or printed and sent by mail, or merely a multiple digit code via a dedicated telephone circuitry. This required a manual look-up at the receiving end to determine the location name and related information which transmitted the referenced alarm code, or total reliance upon the accuracy of the verbally presented information, the ability of the public agency operator to be accurate in the way that he or she wrote down the information, and that all of the information was received.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,141,006, issued Feb. 20, 1979, to Braxton entitled "Security System for Centralized Monitoring and Selected Reporting of Remote Alarm Conditions" is prior art. The processor system includes a terminal for delivering alarm message reports, such as to a local law enforcement agency. However, each terminal is dedicated to the serving central stations's own computer and is thus not available for other central stations to use and share.
The present invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art by providing for an event notification system for transmitting from a multiplicity of central stations into a multiplicity of broadly accessible receiving location terminals.